Construction Industry Failing To Follow OSHA Rules, Says Study

U.S. homebuilders are failing to properly train their employees and follow the safety guidelines of OSHA, according to a recent University of Florida study.

The study analyzed more than 400 accidents from a database containing nine years of OSHA reports, as well as from interviews with 37 building trade companies.

It revealed the following information:

92 percent of the home builders offered no safety training and 30 percent had no general safety plan.

54 percent of the respondents did not provide orientation for new workers.

46 percent of the total accidents analyzed involved a fall from an elevated surface.

88 percent of roofing accidents resulted in a fatality or injury.

"The failure of the residential construction industry to comply with the standards enacted by OSHA has allowed an increasing amount of severe injuries and fatalities to persist on the job," said William Glenn, one of the report''s researchers.

Improvements in training and worker orientation have to be done within a workplace culture that recognizes the importance of complying with regulations, said the report.